Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:42 am

Book 3: Chapter 13

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Already, over 150 guards had been gathered, and more were being added to the company with every outpost they visited. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the city guard were not awakened, which meant they would fare significantly worse against the zombie horde. The important thing, however, was that they were gathering together. They would be much more effective in a large unit than they would be in small squads of ten. The area right outside the northwestern wall that separated the district from the royal graveyard was controlled by the Brass Tiger Syndicate, one of the groups at odds with the Grave Walker. It was here that Garrett hoped to focus the initial zombie push, by making that the easiest way for them to break into the city. This was a risk. Should the gang fail to defend against the initial push, things could spiral out of control very quickly. But it was a risk that Garrett felt he had to take.

At the same time, he was monitoring the situation under the city. The crypt tunnels stretched far outside of the main graveyard, and there were many exits that would lead up into the city itself. As many as possible were being guarded by the Flower Ghoul, but as more and more zombies massed underground, Garrett began to wonder if they would be able to maintain control. The one saving grace was that they had multiple nest stones they had gathered over the last few months. He had relocated the nest stones to key positions, close to the front line where the Flower Ghouls and the zombies would begin fighting with the thought that for every zombie killed, he would be able to drag the corpse back to the nest stone to bolster his forces. His hope was that this would give him the edge he needed.

Deep under the earth, near the first tomb, Cynen and Viper had just finished their rest. Even though the situation on the surface wasn't stabilized, Garrett knew he didn't have the time to wait around. And so, after ensuring that the awakened teams were responding where they were needed most, Garrett sent a command to Viper, telling him to move into the temple. Viper, who had been sitting quietly, opened his eyes and stood up.

"It's time to go," he said, his voice hoarse in the darkness.

Over the last few hours, Cynen had been growing more nervous, though she didn't know why. She felt as if the strange aura coming from the temple had begun to grow and expand, washing over them in waves to fill the air around them. Knowing that Viper had some way of communicating with the surface, she pointed upward.

"What's happening up there?" she asked. "Has the wave started?"

"Yes," Viper said. "The March of Lesrak is underway. Your men are fighting well, but are starting to retreat, giving up their positions to pull back to the second line of defense."

Shuddering slightly, Cynen looked like she wanted nothing more than to rush back up to the surface, but she kept herself under control. Through Viper, Garrett had explained the gravity of the situation more than once. If they couldn't break into the temple and clear it, killing the master, the great ruler who resided at its center, there would be no way for them to stop the undead wave

"All right, I'm ready," she said.

Taking the point position, Viper led the way into the temple. It was quiet, this deep underground. But as they approached the temple, the bone white flames hissed, flaring to flood the room with a creepy light that seemed to transform everything into a shadow. It was disorienting, as the light seemed to erase the depth of anything it touched, making everything it shone on look almost flat. But everyone present was awakened, and was able to shake the influence without too much trouble.

The path that led down to the temple's entrance was long and winding, and at its end stood the two giant jackal-headed statues. Garrett had already warned them that these were not actual statues, but rather minions of the evil necromancer who lived inside the temple. Before they had made their way even halfway down, Viper sensed something and stopped. A faint figure hovered in the air near them, staring at them with large, bulging eyes set in a narrow, bony face.

"You trespass," the figure said, its voice hissing like the flames on the torches. "Bow in worship, or be destroyed."

Already on edge, Cynen couldn't stand it anymore, and green flame flickered in her hand as she let out a blast at the figure. With an impassive gaze, the figure watched its body burn away. Just before it faded into the air, it spoke in its hissing voice.

"So be it."

As the figure faded away, the sound of shifting earth and crunching rocks alerted the team, and dozens of white, bony hands thrust their way up through the ground. Without waiting for the skeleton to pull himself free of the dirt, Viper stepped forward, his sword turning into a silver streak as he stabbed through one of the undead skeleton's eye sockets, crushing the flame that burned in its head, the tip of his sword breaking through the back of its skull.

The rest of the team jumped into action as well, smashing the skeletons, yet there seemed to be an endless number of them, and for every one that fell, another two took its place. Though they managed to kill all of the skeletons rising from the ground near them, there were many that were out of reach, and soon they massed on either side of the team, trapping them in the middle of the path. The creepiest thing about the skeletons was that they were utterly silent, save for the click of their bones on the stone and dirt of the path. They threw themselves forward, mouths flopping open in leering grins, but not a single sound was issued from their throats.

"We'll need to push through," Viper said, striding forward.

Before he could take his position at the front, however, Cynen grabbed his arm.

"Let me," she said, a fierce light burning in her eyes.

Pale green flame surged around her fists. She threw herself forward, using punches and kicks to clear a path through the skeletons. Her two lieutenants followed, attacking any skeletons that managed to slip past her fierce barrage, while the red-masked assassin and Viper followed behind. Even as he retreated after Cynen, Viper's blade wove a net that prevented any of the skeletons behind them from closing in, and slowly the group pushed down the path, all the while watched impassively by the two jackal-headed statues in front of the door.

The fighting was fierce, as the skeletons had no fear and would throw themselves into the path of Cynen's flame-covered fists, just to try to slow her down. Inch by inch, one after another, she smashed them into pieces, scattering bone across the path. As she fought, the green flames she bore seemed to grow stronger, each dead skeleton adding to the intensity of the fire. Watching her from the dream flowers that Gale carried, Garrett noticed that the death that Cynen wielded was actually absorbing the flame of undeath that animated each of the skeletons. He had wondered how someone of Cynen's age had managed to grow her power, and now he felt as if he had a clue.

Each time one of her fists would shatter the skull of a skeleton, the spark that animated it would be absorbed into the pale green flame, strengthening it further. It made sense, then, that if she had been hunting undead for a long time, she had naturally grown stronger. After forty minutes of fierce fighting, they had nearly made it down to the bottom of the path, but even though her flame was growing stronger, Cynen was growing tired. As a shaper, she had nearly unlimited stamina, but even she required rest in order to regenerate, and there was no stopping as they battled their way through the hordes of grasping skeletons.

A trail of destruction lay behind them, covered in the cracked bones of the skeletons and the pressure from their back was starting to wane so after giving a command to the two red-masked assassins to watch their back, Viper dashed forward, intercepting a skeleton with a clean flick of his blade. Its head was separated from its body and sent tumbling to the side, where Cynen stomped with her foot, crushing the skull into dust.

"Let's take a moment to rest," Viper said.

Though Cynen wanted to continue moving, she knew the wisdom in what he was saying, and nodded, stepping back to catch her breath. For a few minutes, they stood in place, defending themselves against the endless horde of skeletons. After her breathing evened out, Cynen nodded and reignited the flame on her hand.

"I'm ready," she said.

Without second-guessing her, Viper stepped back, letting her take her place at the front once more. Grinning, Cynen's teeth reflected the green flames, giving her a sinister look, and she clapped her hands together, releasing a blast of death's fire. It threw the skeletons back, causing them to bunch up, and she rushed forward, flame building on her fist. Unleashing her punch, she smashed through four skeletons all at once and let out a loud shout. Following quietly behind her, Viper and the others continued to guard their back and flanks from the skeletons as they rounded the last corner in the winding path. The skeletons at the front had begun to dwindle as well, and as they finally came to a stop at the bottom of the path, there were no more.

There was a shimmer in the air, and the ghostly figure with bulging eyes appeared once more. He was about to say something. His eyes were fixed on Cynen, and as his thin lips opened to speak, she punched towards him, unleashing a blast of flame that consumed his body.

"I think he was going to say something," Viper said. But Cynen just shook her head, her eyes turning toward the two jackal-headed statues that loomed over them.

"I'm sure it wouldn't have been of any value," she said. "Nothing good comes from listening to evil creatures. Besides, we've got bigger monsters to fry."

Nodding, Viper stepped forward, his sword in his hand as he swept the two statues with a hard gaze. Both stood at fifteen feet tall and had heavily muscled bodies with gray, stone-like skin. Their chests and legs were covered in gleaming bronze armor and they held long spears with hooked blades at both ends. Though they had yet to move, it was clear to both Viper and Cynen that they were not only alive but had been paying attention to the fight. The dirt path gave way to smooth flagstone but Viper avoided stepping onto it, stopping just before it began. Cynen stepped up to stand beside him.

“What’s the plan for these ones?” she asked, carefully controlling her breathing to restore her energy after the frantic fight down the path.

“It depends if they attack together or not,” Viper said. “As well as which of our skill sets are better at killing them. It’s a pretty safe bet that your flames will do more damage than my sword, but I will probably fare better in a direct brawl because of my speed. Both of us are stronger than them, but something tells me that survivability is their strong suit.”

“That’s typically true with undead,” Cynen said, her eyes narrowing as she looked over the giant’s armor. “And I don’t like the look of the armor they are wearing.”

“Me either. Their chest plates are most likely mysterious artifacts, as are their weapons. Hold on.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, Viper called out to Garrett, asking him if he could tell what the mysterious artifacts did. Garrett, who had only half been paying attention, was startled by the request, but after a moment he directed his full attention over and used Observe the Dream to try and see if he could get any clues. Cynen and Viper were correct in their assessment of the armor and weapons the giant jackal-headed guard statues were wearing, but even after looking them over, Garrett had trouble getting a clear sense. The issue was not that they were too strong, but that the dream energy that shrouded them was infused with Agma-Yoth’s mental energy, making it hard for Garrett to get a solid read. After a little while, Viper shook his head and opened his eyes.

“No luck. Assume that the armor will provide some sort of barrier, and that the weapon will increase its damage.”

“That’s not very helpful,” Cynen said, scowling. “What’s the plan if we don’t know what they can do?”

“We engage them and kill them,” Viper replied, his hoarse voice cold.

Without speaking further, Viper stepped forward, his foot landing on the flagstones that covered the ground outside the temple’s entrance. As soon as it did, the two statues moved in unison, lifting their weapons and throwing themselves forward. One launched a leaping overhead chop while the other dove forward and unleashed a wide slash, targeting Viper from both sides. However, Garrett’s guardian was too quick and with a burst of speed that made it impossible to follow him, he shot toward the jackal-headed statue that was leaping into the air. Viper’s silver blade drew a sharp line across the statue’s foot, creating a shower of sparks and causing a loud screech to echo in the cavern.

Viper’s blade left nothing but a thin line across the bronze leg armor that the statue wore, but he didn’t seem discouraged as he planted his foot and changed directions, his sword stabbing sideways toward the ear of the other statue. Unsurprisingly, the statue tried to dodge to the side, at the same time lifting his hand to block the attack. Viper kept right up with him, not wanting to let the jackal-headed statue gain distance. With uncanny accuracy, the tip of Viper’s sword suddenly accelerated, stabbing in through a tiny gap in the statue’s fingers and tearing into the side of his face.

Just as quickly as the blade landed it was pulled back to avoid getting crushed in the monster’s hand, and Viper danced backward, avoiding a counterattack with a graceful turn. Seeing both of the monsters heading after Viper, Cynen swore under her breath and gathered her pale green flames around her hands. As soon as her hands and forearms were coated, she jumped into battle, dashing toward Viper who was dodging a hacking blade. Arriving in front of him just as the jackal-headed statue withdrew her weapon, she reached out, grabbing it and allowing herself to be pulled along. Her arm drew back and she unleashed a powerful punch as she rose up into the air, slamming her fist into the monster’s snout and causing him to stumble to the side with a howl of pain.

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